What To Do If Your A/C Doesn’t Work

It’s pretty much guaranteed that most of us will at some point head for the thermostat after feeling a little too warm or cold in our home. We’ll arrive at its designated spot on the wall, push the little lever or touch the digital screen and nothing will happen. It’s always alarming, but doesn’t always mean that there is a problem.

Here is a short list of things that should be checked if your system is not operating.

The first item on our list is to check that the thermostat is set properly. I know that this may sound silly, but we do receive calls about it. Make sure to set the desired temperature five degrees below the thermometer reading and that the control is set for what you want to happen. Example: Cool, 75°F and auto.

If you’ve determined that the thermostat is set properly, then the second thing to do is to check if the humidistat is set properly, if you have one. This can get a little more complicated. There are two different ways to set your humidistat depending on the way it was originally installed. If you’re unsure, please check with your service provider or call me and I will be happy to help. Note: not all systems have a humidistat, but they should. Check out next week’s article to see why you should have a humidistat.

The third item to check is the breaker. There should be two breakers on most systems, one for the outside unit and one for the inside unit. Breakers can appear to be intact but can still be tripped. You need to flip them over and flip them back to ensure that they are making contact.

One you’ve completed each step, wait a couple of minutes, there can be timers that need to expire before a new process can begin. So, even after you’ve followed all these steps your system still doesn’t respond, call me for service. Oops, I meant call your service provider for service.

Thanks as always,
Bryan Hayes, along with his brother Todd are co-owners of a Sanibel Air Conditioning company. They also own and operate an island-based electrical service company. Bryan can be reached at Bryan@Sanibelair.com